Developing Good Research Habits

Successful research takes planning, time, experience, and patience to be effective. Learn steps and tools for becoming a better researcher both at home and in repositories, and for developing good habits that make the most of your genealogy time budget.

 

Where Are Those Records You Told Me To Check?

Genealogists are continually learning about different records that may hold the family history details they seek. In books and classes, at institutes, conferences, and online, records are described and illustrated. The excitement builds but then many are stymied. Sure that record looks good, but where should they go to find that record for their ancestral locality? Should they check online, go to the courthouse, the historical society, state archives, the Family History Library, or just keep on wishing they knew where to find the records now? Should they check close to the locality or might the record be four counties or three states away? This sessions details the many finding aids, publications, resource people, and online clues to where the records may be located today. It also details the differences in city, county, state, and federal level record responsibility in the U.S. to assist the researcher in the direction of the correct place.

 

Lord Preserve Us! Church Records for Family Research

Not all of our ancestors belonged to an organized religion. For those who did, the records which have survived until today can often be helpful to genealogists. Names, dates, relationships, places of new and former residences, burial location, and other details may be learned. With some background knowledge of your family, and of the area in which they lived, it may be possible to find church records for your ancestor. Church related records are important for ancestors and siblings who were involved in the ministry. Often a biography or specialized obituary can be found for these individuals. For ancestors who resided in the New England and Middle Atlantic states, the religious resources are especially rich. Churches related to specific ethnic groups may give us clues to the old country. More and more southern church records are surfacing and serve to replace many burned civil records. Church records may predate the civil recordings of births, deaths, and marriages.

 

Research Rewards in County Courthouses & Town Halls

     Courthouses and town halls all across the U. S. are treasure troves of records for family history research. Yes, they include birth, death, marriage, and probate records, but go far beyond these. Learn about these basics and also tax, divorce, naturalization, criminal and civil court records, and others. Today the records might have been transferred to an archive, historical society, may be on microfilm via the Family History Library, or even online. Learn what these records hold, and how to find and access them and indexes. The examples used in the lecture span a wide variety of localities. This lecture focuses on historical rather than current records and on the county and town level records.